Staff – Lacey

Kristina Pittman, DPT, OCS
Board-Certified Physical Therapist/Clinic Director/Co-Owner

Kristina was born and raised in Tumwater and graduated from Black Hills High School. As a former basketball and fast pitch player, she was no stranger to injury and knew from an early age that she wanted to pursue a career in Physical Therapy. In 2009 she graduated from Eastern Washington University with her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, and in 2012 she graduated from University of Puget Sound with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy. She enjoys working with patients of all ages and with all injury types to develop a personalized treatment plan to help restore function and reach their goals. In her spare time Kristina enjoys spending time with her husband, exploring the outdoors and cheering on the Seahawks!

Sean Sipe, PT, DPT, SCS
Board-Certified Physical Therapist/Owner

Sean is a lifelong Washington State native. He was born and raised in the Spokane area and has resided in Thurston County for over 10 years. He graduated from Eastern Washington University in 1996 with a degree in Human Biology and was accepted into EWU’s Physical Therapy program. He was awarded his Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy in 1998.

Shortly after graduating, Sean began working as a Staff Physical Therapist at a private practice in Aberdeen. He soon began managing that practice. Eventually he moved to Olympia with the goal of starting a new practice.

In 2002, Sean co-founded what was to become South Sound Physical & Hand Therapy. Over the course of 6 years, through a combination of start-ups and acquisitions, he grew the company to 5 locations. Sean sold his interest in South Sound Physical & Hand Therapy in early 2011 to pursue other projects, including consulting and new clinic development.

Sean completed his Doctorate in Physical Therapy in August, 2012 in Executive Management from the EIM Institute based in Louisville, KY. He then opened Yelm Physical Therapy and became co-founder of Centralia Physical Therapy which launched in September, 2012.

Sean’s wife, Christina, is a Pediatric Physical Therapist and they have three children. He is an avid golfer and enjoys keeping up on his reading.

Austin Nichols, DPT, OCS
Board Certified Physical Therapist

Austin is a Washington native and grew up in the Olympia area. He has always had interests in sports, science, and health and found his love for Physical Therapy while attending Pacific Lutheran University where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. He then went on to study at Boston University, graduating with his Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree. He enjoys working closely with his patients on individualized programs to help them regain function and achieve their goals. In his spare time, Austin enjoys camping, hiking, snowboarding and playing fetch with his dog, Saki.

Sarah Dean-Hergert, DPT
Physical Therapist

Sarah is from Issaquah, WA and graduated from Skyline High School. Sarah had the opportunity to shadow a Physical Therapist in high school and immediately knew it was the career for her. Sarah graduated from the University of Washington in 2016 with her bachelor’s degree in Biology. She then worked as a physical therapist aide at a clinic in Seattle for two years before returning to the University of Washington to pursue her Doctorate of Physical Therapy. In June of 2021, she graduated with her doctorate and moved to Olympia. Sarah loves getting to know her patients to develop a personalized treatment plan so they can stay involved with the activities they enjoy.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys reading, hiking, and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband.

Cami Knackstedt, OTR/L, CHT
Physical Therapist

Cami was born in Tacoma, WA and grew up around the Gig Harbor area. She obtained her bachelor’s in science degree in biology before deciding to pursue the medical field. She is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound occupational therapy program (class of 2007) where she obtained her master’s in science (MSOT) on the research track. She started practicing occupational therapy in 2008. Since then, she has developed a comprehensive skillset with an emphasis always placed on client-centered, evidence-based care. It is her top priority to help individuals achieve their unique functional goals. As a certified hand therapist, she specializes in treating arm injuries ranging from acute to chronic conditions and is proficient with custom orthotic fabrication. Her experience in treating postoperative hand surgery patients using rehabilitation protocols based on current research has prepared her to achieve optimal outcomes time and time again. She also has training and experience in neurological rehabilitation and is certified in gerontology. On her own time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, painting, traveling and snowboarding with her boyfriend, Jordan.

Cassie
Front Office Coordinator